# Movies With a Good Twist \*Please, no spoilers\* **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [September 4, 2015, 7:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-with-a-good-twist-please-no-spoilers/729927 "2015-09-04T19:13:00Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![SykoSkotty](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c0e974/32.png) [@SykoSkotty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SykoSkotty)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2015, 1:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-with-a-good-twist-please-no-spoilers/729927/61 "2015-09-07T13:00:49Z")
Angel Heart ---
**Author:** ![ftg](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ftg/32/2801_2.png) [@ftg](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ftg)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2015, 2:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-with-a-good-twist-please-no-spoilers/729927/62 "2015-09-07T14:15:10Z")
> [@Frylock](#): > > And you’ve been repeatedly, soundly, _soundly_ refuted on this point. Not one single refutation ever. A testament from someone _not paying attention_ during the film isn’t proof. ---
**Author:** ![Freudian\_Slit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/5daacb/32.png) [@Freudian\_Slit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Freudian_Slit)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2015, 2:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-with-a-good-twist-please-no-spoilers/729927/63 "2015-09-07T14:52:40Z")
> [@ftg](#): > > Not one single refutation ever. A testament from someone _not paying attention_ during the film isn’t proof. So by that rationale are you saying that a twist can’t be something you can figure out midway? Because by that rationale a lot of movies don’t have twists. I mean, you could probably figure out the twist to Psycho or Fight Club based on the hints, but most would still consider them twist endings. ---
**Author:** ![Gyrate](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gyrate/32/3588_2.png) [@Gyrate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gyrate)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2015, 3:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-with-a-good-twist-please-no-spoilers/729927/64 "2015-09-07T15:07:02Z")
> [@Barrett\_Bonden](#): > > _ **Dead Again** _ (1991) caught me completely by surprise. For me the biggest surprise was the Andy Garcia’s “What did Roman say” revelation. I was totally fished in, as Wayne and garth might say. Sadly, the film (which is excellent up to that point) nosedives shortly after the twist is revealed - not because of the twist but mostly in a “oh shit, we haven’t left enough time to put in a decent ending” way. (And **Frylock** - I wouldn’t have remotely called it a comedy. It’s not as heavyhanded a thriller as some but it’s clearly intended to be a thriller nonetheless.) To add to the list: **Deathtrap**. Which _is_ supposed to be funny, despite the “death” part. ---
**Author:** ![pmwgreen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/edb3f5/32.png) [@pmwgreen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pmwgreen)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2015, 3:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-with-a-good-twist-please-no-spoilers/729927/65 "2015-09-07T15:28:14Z")
[Jakarta (2000)](http://www.amazon.com/Jakarta-Sang-Jung-Kim/dp/B00I3KRKZC/ref=sr_1_6?s=movies-tv&ie=UTF8&qid=1441639285&sr=1-6&keywords=jakarta) Not for the subtitle averse and it’s really impossible to find, but I love it. ---
**Author:** ![Isamu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/7c8e57/32.png) [@Isamu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Isamu)\ **Post date:** [September 8, 2015, 2:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-with-a-good-twist-please-no-spoilers/729927/66 "2015-09-08T02:46:23Z")
Miller’s Crossing. Verna was a real twist. ---
**Author:** ![Ibn\_Warraq](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/e19b73/32.png) [@Ibn\_Warraq](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ibn_Warraq)\ **Post date:** [September 8, 2015, 3:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-with-a-good-twist-please-no-spoilers/729927/67 "2015-09-08T03:14:30Z")
For an old fun movie, I’d say _The Eagle Has Landed_. Big change from the book. For a newer, more recent movie, I’d say go with _A Perfect Getaway_. A gem of a movie that somehow slipped through the cracks largely due to terrible marketing. ---
**Author:** ![Sitnam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/6a8cbe/32.png) [@Sitnam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sitnam)\ **Post date:** [September 8, 2015, 4:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-with-a-good-twist-please-no-spoilers/729927/68 "2015-09-08T04:45:58Z")
**Pandorum** - It starts good, in the middle turns cheesy B scifi action thriller but the end is worth it. ---
**Author:** ![CalMeacham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/calmeacham/32/35_2.png) [@CalMeacham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CalMeacham)\ **Post date:** [September 8, 2015, 11:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-with-a-good-twist-please-no-spoilers/729927/69 "2015-09-08T11:38:09Z")
> [@John\_Mace](#): > > _Charade_ was great. But don’t forget that _Body Heat_ was essentially a remake of _Double Indemnity_. > > . Related\* and inspired by, but not a remake. \*supposedly both inspired by the same real-life murder case. ---
**Author:** ![TV\_time](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/f17d59/32.png) [@TV\_time](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TV_time)\ **Post date:** [September 8, 2015, 1:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-with-a-good-twist-please-no-spoilers/729927/70 "2015-09-08T13:20:32Z")
> [@standingwave](#): > > [The Sting (1973)](http://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/the-sting-1973) A wonderful movie for twists. It feeds you a few on the surface or just below so you think you’ve got them all, but you don’t. ---
**Author:** ![CalMeacham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/calmeacham/32/35_2.png) [@CalMeacham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CalMeacham)\ **Post date:** [September 8, 2015, 1:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-with-a-good-twist-please-no-spoilers/729927/71 "2015-09-08T13:40:22Z")
Another Frederick Forsyth, but not a movie. It was a 1984 TV show called _Two by Forsyth_ that featured adaptations of his stories _Privilege_ and _A Careful Man_ (both in his collection _No Comebacks_). Both very well done, and both feature twists (although it’s pretty mild in Privilege). Worth watching, if you can find it. I stumbled across a videotape of it in a sales bin. ---
**Author:** ![Barkis\_is\_Willin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/a183cd/32.png) [@Barkis\_is\_Willin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Barkis_is_Willin)\ **Post date:** [September 8, 2015, 3:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-with-a-good-twist-please-no-spoilers/729927/72 "2015-09-08T15:00:14Z")
> [@JKellyMap](#): > > All true, despite the fact that they GIVE IT AWAY in the very first scene! Somehow, the filmmakers figured out how to make just about every viewer completely forget that scene just as soon as it’s over. Brilliant and audacious. What was the give away in the first scene? There are, like any good movie with a twist, clues along the way, but I’m not remembering the opening scene. ---
**Author:** ![WOOKINPANUB](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wookinpanub/32/132_2.png) [@WOOKINPANUB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WOOKINPANUB)\ **Post date:** [September 8, 2015, 4:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-with-a-good-twist-please-no-spoilers/729927/73 "2015-09-08T16:08:33Z")
You’re all reminding me of some great films that I haven’t thought about in some time. A couple of questions / points for discussion: **Kamino Neko** , even though I mentioned A Tale of Two Sisters in my first post, I’m not sure what you mean by \*two \*twists. IIRC the big surprise has two parts to it but they’re revealed at the same time (I think?) [QUOTE= Drunky Smurf] Frailty was another this changes everything for me. [/QUOTE] I didn’t like this movie quite as much as you but that may because the twist was lost on me, or at least I don’t remember what it is. Please refresh me. Ditto **RealityChuck’s** suggestion of Polanski’s _The Tenant_. Fascinating to watch but not sure I’d classify the weird ending as a twist. Then I again I may not be remembering it correctly or, more likely, didn’t understand the meaning at the time. I thought the ending is intentionally ambiguous but I’m open to other interpretations. **ftg** , I don’t know if you’re just getting into semantics, but in what world does the \* Sixth Sense\* not contain a twist? Unless you’re referring to the world of super geniuses that always figure out the twist before the theater has darkened :dubious: ---
**Author:** ![bigdfrombigd](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/df705f/32.png) [@bigdfrombigd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bigdfrombigd)\ **Post date:** [September 8, 2015, 9:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-with-a-good-twist-please-no-spoilers/729927/74 "2015-09-08T21:17:27Z")
The Crying Game. I loved that movie. A few of my friends said they spotted the twist immediately. I was totally surprised!!!:eek: ---
**Author:** ![Frylock](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/ce7236/32.png) [@Frylock](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Frylock)\ **Post date:** [September 8, 2015, 9:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-with-a-good-twist-please-no-spoilers/729927/75 "2015-09-08T21:33:24Z")
> [@WOOKINPANUB](#): > > **ftg** , I don’t know if you’re just getting into semantics, but in what world does the \* Sixth Sense\* not contain a twist? Unless you’re referring to the world of super geniuses that always figure out the twist before the theater has darkened :dubious: **ftg** ’s claim, to my recollection, is that the film intentionally telegraphs the protagonist’s status from the beginning, and that we are supposed to understand that he is dead all along. The final reveal is a reveal to the protagonist, but not to the audience. Anyone who was surprised along with him was not paying attention–not that they failed to pick up on subtle clues, but they were literally not paying attention to what the filmmakers were intentionally telling them, explicitly, from the beginning. ---
**Author:** ![Mahaloth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mahaloth/32/1079_2.png) [@Mahaloth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mahaloth)\ **Post date:** [September 8, 2015, 9:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-with-a-good-twist-please-no-spoilers/729927/76 "2015-09-08T21:37:54Z")
> [@bigdfrombigd](#): > > The Crying Game. I loved that movie. A few of my friends said they spotted the twist immediately. I was totally surprised!!!:eek: Oh, to go back when everyone did not know the twist. I was fortunate enough to see 6th Sense opening weekend and to not know it had a twist. The audience screamed, gasped, and were blown away by the reveal. ---
**Author:** ![Frylock](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/ce7236/32.png) [@Frylock](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Frylock)\ **Post date:** [September 8, 2015, 9:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-with-a-good-twist-please-no-spoilers/729927/77 "2015-09-08T21:40:59Z")
I’ve gone back and checked–he thinks the dead status of the protagonist is telegraphed intentionally and explicitly in the hospital scene where the kid says “I see dead people.” FTR his position is, as I said, “soundly refuted,” by the fact that in that near-final scene where the protagonist realized he is dead, we (the audience) are shown a series of clips which set out to explain to _us_ (the audience) what has really been happening in the film. There is no need to re-show these scenes to us, the audience, unless we, the audience, are supposed to see something new in them. ---
**Author:** ![zombywoof](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/9e8a1a/32.png) [@zombywoof](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zombywoof)\ **Post date:** [September 8, 2015, 9:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-with-a-good-twist-please-no-spoilers/729927/78 "2015-09-08T21:58:53Z")
Is honoring the OP’s polite request for no spoilers really so hard? ---
**Author:** ![Frylock](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/ce7236/32.png) [@Frylock](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Frylock)\ **Post date:** [September 8, 2015, 10:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-with-a-good-twist-please-no-spoilers/729927/79 "2015-09-08T22:06:37Z")
> [@zombywoof](#): > > Is honoring the OP’s polite request for no spoilers really so hard? No, it’s not difficult at all. Does it seem genuinely likely to you that anyone found it difficult? Or does it seem more likely to you that people forgot about it, given especially the near-hijack involved? In any case, you’re strictly correct in what you’re trying to point out, and on that account I can only apologize and ask if a mod might modify the relevant posts. ---
**Author:** ![Kamino\_Neko](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kamino_neko/32/34_2.png) [@Kamino\_Neko](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kamino_Neko)\ **Post date:** [September 8, 2015, 10:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-with-a-good-twist-please-no-spoilers/729927/80 "2015-09-08T22:40:18Z")
> [@WOOKINPANUB](#): > > **Kamino Neko** , even though I mentioned A Tale of Two Sisters in my first post, I’m not sure what you mean by \*two \*twists. IIRC the big surprise has two parts to it but they’re revealed at the same time (I think?) There’s ~20 minutes between the first reveal and the second (~1h15 and ~1h35), and even if they came closer on each other’s heels, they’re not the same twist - the second puts a different colour on the first, but it’s substantially a different twist. Then there’s the bit at the end, that depending on how you interpret it, can remove the effects of the second twist from the first. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-with-a-good-twist-please-no-spoilers/729927.md?page=3) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-with-a-good-twist-please-no-spoilers/729927.md?page=5)